The use of orthopedic fastening devices, such as bone screws, has greatly aided the medical field in the treatment of bone fractures, as well as enabling the ever increasing use of orthopedic implants and orthopedic appliances. With respect to the treatment of bone fractures, it is sometimes desired to surgically reposition the fragmented bone members in an anatomically acceptable orientation, and then fasten the bone members together in order to facilitate the healing process. Bone screws are typically employed in stabilization procedures used to treat bone fractures.
When a bone screw is employed, either to fasten two or more members together or to secure an orthopedic appliance (e.g. bone plate) to a bone, alignment and proper orientation are critical. To ensure proper alignment, a guide wire is often installed along the desired trajectory for the bone screw. The cannulated bone screw is then disposed over the guide wire. The guide wire functions to guide the cannulated bone screw in its proper direction. After the insertion of the bone screw, the guide wire is removed from the joined components. One skilled in the art will readily appreciate that a cannulated component refers to a small diameter through-passage throughout the entire length of the component and coaxial therewith that can be configured to insert a guide wire therethrough.
Typically, a cannulated driver is used to drive the cannulated screw over the guide wire. After the cannulated screw has been deposited over the guide wire, a cannulated driver is typically positioned over the guide wire. The cannulated driver rotates the screw over the guide wire and into a bone. In previous implementations, the guide wire rotated with the cannulated driver as the screw was inserted. In other implementations, the guide wire was also inserted deeper into the bone as the screw is driven into the bone. Driving the guide wire further into an incision or further rotating the guide wire may result in unwanted soft tissue damage. It is desirable to drive the cannulated screw over the guide wire but have the guide wire neither rotate nor translate axially, with respect to its initial position.